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27 March 2015

Memories that spur us onward...(in the picture with the Director is our Board Chair Mrs. J Muganiwa holding the NAMA trophy)

I hope this note finds you well wherever you are. We
understand we have sort of kept you waiting, especially regarding the
WIN Newsletter or updating our news. We are also beginning to miss it! The frequency with which we
are updating new material onto our blog has slowed down due to some adjustments happening on our side. I am glad to say we are almost settling down
after we moved office out of town to cut down costs. Soon as we have completed
the transformational touches to our internal affairs, we will be bringing
timely news and updates. In the background, we know that our members are
resilient and moving on. We say to you, ‘Keep reading and writing’. Let me also
take this opportunity to encourage members to pay up their 2015 subscriptions
to help us also pay up our 2015 associate subscriptions to literary
organisations where WIN is a member. Donations or new members are welcome. A quick reminder to WIN members, either
paid up or not, please get in touch on 0774548466 should you wish to join our
WIN WhatsApp Group where you can easily get closer to us and meet fellow members who are
daily writing and reading and sharing their poetic or literary passions and creations and giving
instant honest feedback to each other. The group is planning to regularly
produce a short magazine of poems shared with the group and so get in touch and sail with
the others.

05 March 2015

Welcome, welcome to our post-NAMA newsletter! You
would imagine we were still recovering from the historic victory! What does the
NAMA Award mean to us, to our members, to all whose works in different genres
and languages we have featured here on the blog? Put simply, we are on the
right track and we have this will to expand our newsletter. Out of this platform we shall see literary wonders that will result in different publications! Meanwhile, please note that WIN
has moved from its Kaguvi office indefinitely. God knows why while we were
winning NAMA on February 14, we were being evicted in the background. We
are not afraid however. We are moving on and as we have been saying, so many
changes are likely to take place in our beloved organisation so that we are
posed for greater heights. Once again, thank you all for being such wonderful
friends in writing and reading. Thank you. Please enjoy...

WHO
IS DEBRA VAKIRA?

(Report by WIN-Zimbabwe)

Debra Vakira (pictured above) is the author of ‘A Struggle Alike’ which
was nominated this year at the 14th National Arts Merit Awards for the Outstanding
First Creative Published Work award.

A writer, mother and wife, Vakira was born
in the mining town of Redcliff in Kwekwe.

Her writing talent was discovered when she was doing
her Advanced Level at Shungu High School where she wrote speeches for public
speaking purposes. This nonfiction type of writing saw Vakira presenting at the
United Nations Model Conference held at Africa University in 2001.

Little did Vakira know that she would plunge into
fiction writing soon!

“I can say I have loved books all my life. I am peaceful
when I write,” she says.

It was in 2010 when she joined the Zimbabwe Women
Writers which acted as a springboard for her writing career.

“I participated in the short story contests such as
the Norma Kitson Writing Competition.I
realized that I could write seriously when I was second runner-up in 2013,”
says Vakira.

The same year, 2013, she sat down to write her first
novel which would launch her career to some level.‘A Struggle Alike’, a thrilling story, got a
positive nod from ZWW which right away sought funding for it.

It was then published in 2014 by ZWW and got nominated
this year for a NAMA award.

The NAMAs provide a platform for growing, whether one
is nominated or is a winner. For Vakira, being nominated for the first time
with a first work was elevating.

“The NAMA nomination was an eye-opener as I interacted
with other artists and got more insight into the arts. I was inspired. I am
already working on some more creative works. I am now more serious than I was
before. I am more confident as a writer,” Vakira says.

Another thing that inspired Vakira at this year’s NAMA
awards especially in the literary section was the presence of more women
writers. The spirit of sisterhood was established and if more women could be
encouraged to write, their cause would be understood.

Debra Vakira has a dream. And the dream is to bring
about social change so that women are emancipated and empowered to deal with
societal ills. She hopes to develop literature that is entertaining as well as therapeutic.

Vakira also writes for the press and success stories
of entrepreneurs for organisations such as Empretec Zimbabwe which groomed her.
She is also an entrepreneur in the consulting business providing services such
as counseling, behaviour change and communication skills.

THE
YOUTH PERSPECTIVE

With Mimi
Machakaire (author of novel 'Princess Gangster')

From Books to the Screen

My fellow youthful writers, let’s take a journey
back in time and remember what our lives where like when TV and movies where
introduced. How some think-tank had enough
intelligence to figure out a way we could not only tell our stories but show
them as well. How many ideas have been taken since then? So many apparently to
the point where even something as simple and mindless as people going out
clubbing can be considered good entertainment? Not in my book.

It’s about time we should be coming up with
stories that will make the audience actually think for a change. As youths yes
we are drawn to the idealistic lifestyle of the everyday celebrity because we
secretly hope to one day be as successful as they are but the sad truth is
that there is nothing else to focus on other than that.If we had some intelligent, enticing and
tastefully told stories to learn from that can also educate us and at the same
time entertain us. We would honestly pay attention because at
this point even the world wide wrestling entertainment (WWE) shows have better
story-lines. At least they try to talk about
something different other than showing us a good fight. Why? Because they
actually take the time to script out their fictional characters that will later
build up to the next match.There’s
dialogue and backgroundinformation released for each wrestler, which if
you pay attention to what they are portraying it would actually make for a
really good overall story.

It all starts from the moment our pens hit
that paper or our fingers tap each letter from that keyboard.

However, television has also come with bad influence upon the youth. Most television shows and movies these days
are superficial, nonsensical and give our youths of today the wrong impression
on what life is really all about. That’s why half of youth’s society is out
there partying and doing all the wrong things because they are being influenced
through what they see on screen. Even half of the music we unfortunately listen
to, tells the same story. We are sadly constantly reminded that if we do not
live the life of a “celebrity” then it means we are automatically boring. This refers to those who are easily influenced, that is. For those who are strong
enough to live the lives they want, they should have enough sense to encourage the
ones who are not. Why? Because they are too afraid to
look like they are nagging or to look like they don’t know what we are talking
about when something goes unexpected.

At the same time we get those few who are
not afraid to tell it like it is no matter what the outcome. I encourage those
types of people to lead others along with them because they are the ones who
will tell the truth in their stories. If you are that person who is not afraid
to tell the truth especially to the ones who don’t want to listen then take that
ability and use it to your advantage. You have the resources in front of you
now run with it.

Your stories should be filled with not only
just the glamour but to have an all rounded effect which includes the hard
times as well. Let’s change our stories, so that by the time they appear on
screen they will actually make someone feel laughter, sadness, anger and all of
the emotions put together. Best of all as they feel all of that emotion, I
repeat; let’s make them think at the same time because even just thinking about
what you’ve just watched can make all the difference in the world.

YOU ARE INVITED

The Zimbabwe Writers Association (ZWA) is inviting you
all to its next Harare member’s bi-monthly meeting to be held at the National
Gallery of Zimbabwe, 20 Julius Nyerere Way, Harare, on Saturday 7, March 2015
from 11:30 to 4:00pm.

This time the discussion topic is ‘Issues in
Publishing.’ Irene Staunton, Editor at Weaver Press and Limbikani Makani expert
on online matters will each give a brief presentation before a fully-fledged
discussion on this topical issue. Later on, Cynthia Marangwanda will read from
and talk about her NAMA award winning debut novel, Shards.

N.B.We are operating on a zero budget, so bring a
drink for yourself and a friend. The gallery shop will be selling drinks. We
are all reminded to bring $10 membership fees. New members are most welcome.
Remember: the major objective of ZWA is to bring together all willing
individual writers of Zimbabwe in order to encourage creative writing, reading
and publishing in all forms possible, conduct workshops, and provide for
literary discussions. Zimbabwe Writers Association (ZWA) is the newest
nationally inclusive writers Organization whose formation started in July 2010
leading to the AGM of June 4, 2011. It was fully registered with the National
Arts Council of Zimbabwe in January 2011.

Writers Shimmer Chinodya
and Valerie Tagwira met students from three high schools in Harare to discuss
their novels ‘Strife’ and ‘Uncertainty of Hope’. The event took place at Prince
Edward Boys High on February 19. For a full article about this, please visit this link. We,
however, share with you few photos from this significant encounter between
writers and students.

CREATIVITY
AND OUR COMMUNITY

With Tendai
Chinhoro

Social stratification systems also have a bearing on side-lining
creative talents and other intelligent people. Stratification systems according
to Florida (2012) are either closed, meaning they allow little change in social
position, or open, meaning they allow movement and interaction between the
layers. A caste system is a good example. Chaundry (2013) define a caste system
as one in which social standing is based on ascribed status or birth. Caste
systems are closed stratification systems in which people can do little or
nothing to change their social standing. A caste system is one in which people
are born into their social standing and will remain in it their whole lives.
People are assigned occupations regardless of their talents, interests, or
potential. There are virtually no opportunities to improve one’s social
position. In the Hindu caste tradition, people are expected to work in the
occupation of their caste and to enter into marriage according to their caste.
Accepting this social standing is considered a moral duty. Cultural values
reinforce the system. Caste systems promote beliefs in fate, destiny, and the
will of a higher power, rather than promoting individual freedom as a value. A
person who lives in a caste society is socialized to accept his or her social
standing. While we may not have a caste system in Zimbabwe the general economic
gap between the poor and the rich is in many cases wide and continue to widen
with the prevailing economic meltdown where the creatively talented and intelligent
cannot manoeuvre to the top regardless of education due to the malfunctioning
socio-economic institutions

Buchholz (1997) see solitude as a pre-requisite for a creative
artist: an important route to creativity; indeed, research on creative and
talented teenagers suggests that the most talented youngsters are
those who treasure their solitude. However, the artist in all of us must risk
disconnection, for forging a happy and worthwhile life and navigating through
that life fully and gracefully is itself a creative act. The value of solitude
or alone time not loneliness or isolation to a creative work life is
immeasurable. However, shrinking leisure time and mental and physical
exhaustion are by-products of our accelerated work shifts. People sleep as soon
as they get home. Even breaks in the workday are rapidly disappearing. People
today, caught in a struggle to produce work at the rate demanded by society,
never consider the lack of alone moments. Once they do, they may decide to take
control of their professional life by self-demoting, turning down promotions,
career shifting by changing to a less-pressured field. There is no more time
for creative exploration to those who have pursued other professions in place
of their creative ones due to their job demands.

While societal
institutions play a pivotal role in side-lining the development of creative
talents and other intelligences other factors like personality play a role.
According to Warlonick (1993) the role of personality in this developmental
mess is evident in the little voice in our heads giving all the reasons why we
can't do something, or why something won't work. We must silence the voice during
the initial stages of creative process. Logical, critical and judgmental
thoughts will reduce the quality of the initial creative process. Berman (1989)
made adaptations to Freud's theory and discusses how creativity is thwarted in
the young child. In fact, several researchers have found that creative people
tend to be more depressed than the general population. They are more prone to
alcoholism, mood-swings and suicide. Emotionally disturbed and
behaviour-disorientated children often show creativity levels exceeding their
peers. It is interesting, however, that while these relationships exist;
creativity itself is manifested during comparatively stable emotional states.

In conclusion,
one can say that, societal institutions truly side-line creative talents and
intelligent people in communities, especially at the influence of cultural
values, norms, and expectations, where conformity to these override individual vocation and subsumes it in
socially acceptable careers. All the same it must be pointed out that, talented
and intelligent people themselves must act radically against institutional
hindrances for their own self-actualisation.

(This is the last part of Chinhoro’s serialised
academic essay. We hope you enjoyed and learnt one or two things.)

(A former member
of Glen View 2 High writers club (Harare), 20 year old Tilda Benadaty Gozho is
now an Advanced Level student at Mucheke High School in Masvingo where she is
doing History, Shona and Literature in English. Tilda is one of our consistent
young poets to ever come from Glen View 2 High and she has been with WIN since
2010. She is the last born in a family of three.)